Carton sealing machine



Dec. 1-2, 1939 s. R. HOWARD 2,183,163

CARTON SEALING MACHINE Filed June 17, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 a fig INVENTOR BY 6 fi My 04- M QLMQW ATTORNEY Dec. 12, 1939. s. R. HOWARD I CARTON SEALING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR M 1? MJ dad-a czwm- ATTORNEY Filed June 17, 1958 Patented Dec. 12, 1939 UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE CARTON SEALING MACHINE Stanley R. Howard, Milton, Mass, assignor to Pneumatic Scale Corporation, Limited, Quincy, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application June 17, 1938, Serial No. 214,249

5 Claim.

This invention relates to a carton sealing machine and more particularly to the delivery end of a carton sealing machine.

The invention has for an object to provide a novel and improved carton sealing machine in which provision is made for collecting the cartons into groups as they are delivered from the machine and for transferring each group to a pressure applying device whereby the handling of the cartons as they are delivered from the machine and the pressure applying operation may be more expeditiously performed than heretofore.

With this general object in view and such others as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the carton sealing machine and in the various structures, arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention, Fig. 1 is a plan vlew of the carton collecting and transferring mechanism showing a portion of the delivery end of the carton sealing machine; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the apparatus shown in Fig. l, the dryer apparatus being shown in cross-section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the apparatus illustrating the mechanism for transferring the group of cartons to the pressure applying device;- Fig. 4 is a detail view, partly in cross-section, illustrating the drives from the carton sealing machine to. the delivery conveyor; Fig; 5 is a detail of a portion of the machine shown in Fig. 1 with the parts in a different position; and Fig. 6 is a wiring diagram to be referred to.v

In general, the present invention contemplates a carton sealing machine in which provision is made for handling the cartons as they are delivered in a manner such as to enable a greater number of cartons to be produced with greater rapidity and more efliciently than was formerly possible. The invention finds particular use in a high speed carton sealing machine, such as are upon the market today, and enables the increased output of such machines to be expeditiously handled. In the preferred embodiment of the invention and as herein shown, the mechanism for collecting and transferring the cartons is,

embodied in a carton sealing machine used for sealing the top flaps of cartons as they are received from a packaging machine and such top sealing machines, in general, comprise mechanism for applying adhesive to the top flaps and thereafter folding over the flaps to adheslvely seal and close the cartons. In practice, cartons having their top flaps sealed in such a manner require the application of pressure upon the top flaps in order to firmly set the glued flaps and such pressure is preferably maintained for a suflicient length of time to assure a perfect seal. The preferred manner of applying such pressure is to pass the cartons between two driven belts, provided with suitable backing members, such apparatus being commonly known as a dryer. It will be apparent that such dryers must be of sufficient length to maintain the pressure upon the ends of the cartons as they pass therethrough for a sufiicient length of time to firmly set the glued topfiaps.

In the past, the usual practice has been to transfer the individual cartons in succession directly from the top sealing machine into the dryer", the speed of the dryer being such as to handle the output of the machine and of the normal length required in order to perform its functions efficiently as the cartons were advanced therethrough in a single line. This practice was satisfactory when followed in a carton sealing machine having an output of from to 60 per minute. However, when the high-speed machines, such as are used today, having an output of from 90 to 120 cartons per minute, were introduced, this practice proved impractical because of the excessive length of the dryer required.

In accordance with the present invention, the carton sealing machine isprovided with mechanism for collecting the output of the machine into groups and for transferring each group into the dryer" in a manner such that the line of cartons formed by the group are disposed transversely of the dryer, the dryer beingof sufiicient width to handle the group thus formed. Thus, a dryer of normal length and reduced speed may be used to handle the output of a high speed machine while at the same time assuring the maintenance of pressure upon the carton ends for a sufflcient length of time to firmly set the glued flaps. Provision is also made in the improved apparatus for releasing a group of the cartons to prevent jamming thereof in case the group is not removed from the collecting device at the proper time to permit a new group to advance.

Referring now to the drawings, the invention is illustrated as embodied in a carton sealing machine for closing and sealing the top flaps of the cartons, which in general may comprise the machine forming the subject matter of the United States patent to Scales, No. 930,090, dated August 3, 1909, to which reference may be had for a complete description thereof. For the purposes of the present invention only sufiicient portions of the complete top sealing machine have been herein illustrated and will be described as will enable the invention to be understood. As herein shown, see Fig. 1, the cartons I0 are conveyed through the machine by a continuously driven carrier chain I2 provided with pusher arms I4 and the cartons with their top flaps closed and sealed are, in accordance with the present invention, delivered between guide rails I6, I8 to a conveyor belt 20. The conveyor belt 20 may and preferably will be driven through connections from the carton sealing machine and at an increased rate of speed thereto so that each carton, as it is delivered onto the belt will be quickly carried away and join the cartons previously delivered to form a group as will be described.

As herein illustrated, the conveyor belt 20, arranged to run over pulleys 22, 24, is continuously driven through connections from the top sealing machine including a chain and sprocket drive 26 from the continuously rotating cam shaft 28 to an intermediate shaft 30. Bevel gears 32, 34 connect the shaft 30 to a vertical shaft 35 upon which the driving sprocket 36 for the carrier chain I2 is mounted. The lower end of the vertical shaft 35 is provided with a bevel gear 38 which meshes with a pinion 40 fast upon a short shaft 42, see Fig. 4, journaled in a bracket 44 attached to the machine frame. A sprocket 46 secured to the shaft 42 is arranged to drive a sprocket 48, fast upon the pulley shaft 50 through a chain 52. The driven pulley 24 is fast upon the shaft 50 which is journaled in a yoke 54 supported by the bracket 44. In passing from the top sealing machine to the belt 20, the cartons traverse a bridge plate 56 supported on top of the yoke 54. The usual adjustably mounted idler sprocket 58 is provided to keep the chain taut. The idle pulley 22, as herein shown, is loosely mounted upon a shaft 60 carried by a yoked bracket 62 attached to a bracket 64 supported from the frame of the dryer apparatus and by a floor standard 66.

The cartons being transported from the machine on the belt 20,'are arranged to come to rest against a stop member 65 transversely extended in the path of the oncoming cartons. As successive cartons come to rest, one in back of the other, a group of cartons with their longer sides parallel to the run of the conveyor, is formed directly in front of a pusher mechanism, indicated generally at 68. The pusher mechanism is arranged to transfer a group of the cartons from the conveyor belt 20, across a bridge plate I0 and between the driven belt 12, I4 of the dryer apparatus. As herein shown, 4

the transfer mechanism comprises a pusher plate 15 arranged to be operated through connections from the carton sealing machine and in timed relation thereto so that the pusher will operate after a sufficient number of cartons to form a group has been delivered from the machine. The pusher plate I5 is secured to a bracket 18 adjustably attached to a link carried upon the upper ends of parallel arms 82, 84 pivotally mounted upon rocker shafts 86, 08, in the bracket 64, the construction being such as to obtain a substantially straight-line motion when the pusher is operated. The mechanism is actuated through connections from a cam 90, fast .upon the cam shaft 28, and includes a cooperating roller 92 carried by one arm 94 of a bell-crank, and a link 96 which connects the other arm 98 of the bell-crank with a lever I00 free upon the rocker shaft 86. As herein shown, the transfer mechanism is yieldably connected in order to relieve the pressure upon the packages in the event of a jam during the transferring operation and, in addition, provision is made for stopping the top sealing machine in the event of such an occurrence to permit the operator to rectify the condition. To this end, the lever I00 is yieldably connected to a lever I49, fast upon the rocker shaft 86, by a spring I5I. The loosely mounted lever I00 is provided with an abutment I53 which is normally in engagement with a stop member I55, secured to the lever I49. Thus, should the pusher member I5 meet with any undue resistance, the lever I00 is permitted to rock through its full stroke while the pusher mechanism remains stationary and the spring I5I is expanded. In this manner, damage to the actuating mechanism and also to the packages is prevented when a jam'occurs. In order to stop the machine in the event of such an occurrence, the abutment I53 and the stop member I55 may be provided with contacts I56, I 57, respectively, which may form a part of the circuit to the top sealing machine motor I50, as illustrated in Fig. 6. In operation, the contacts I56, I51 are normally closed unless a jam occurs to hold the pusher I5 in its retracted position, as shown in Fig. 6, whereupon the circuit to the motor I50 will be opened to stop the machine. The path I02 of the cam is designed so that it will have an idle portion, during which the pusher is retracted, of sufficient length to permit the requisite number of cartons to enter in front of the pusher to form a group.

It will be observed that in the operation of the device the cartons will continue to be delivered onto the belt 20 during the operating period of the pusher and these cartons will be held back on the belt by an extended portion I 04 of the pusher, to be released as soon as the pusher is retracted. The line of cartons thus released are then advanced to the stop member 65 whereupon the pusher operates to transfer a group of the cartons corresponding to the width of the pusher into the dryer apparatus. In case the conveyor belt 20 should become filled with cartons between the stop member 65 and the delivery end of the machine to such an extent that additional cartons added to the belt would cause the whole line to be advanced by the carrier arms I4, provision is made for permitting the line to pass myond the stop 65 to be expelled from the machine onto a receiving plate I05 in order to prevent a jam. When such a condition occurs it will serve as a signal to the operator to stop the machine and make the necessary adjustments before again starting the machine.

As herein illustrated, the stop member 65 forms one arm of a two-armed lever pivotally mounted upon a pin I06 journaled in a bracket I08. The bracket I08 is adjustably supported upon a stud III! which is carried by an adapter I I I secured to the stationary idler shaft 60. The second arm II2 of the two-armed lever extends into the path of a roller H4 and is normally held against the bracket I08 by the pressure of the roller against the rounded end of the arm II 2 so that the stop member 65 extends transversely of the advancing cartons. As herein shown, the roller H4 is carried by one arm III; of a two-armed lever pivoted at H8 and the second arm I20 is provided with a spring I22 which urged the roller M6 against the end of the arm The roller arm is supported in a bracket II2. I24 attached to the bracket I08. From this construction it will be seen that any undue pressure exerted against the stop member 65 will cause the arm H2; to free itself from the roller II4 thereby permitting the stop member to swing around to a position parallel to the conveyor so that the excess cartons may be released as illustrated in Fig. 5.

As herein shown, the dryer may comprise any usual or preferred apparatus used for the purpose of applying pressure to the ends of the cartons to set the flaps and as illustrated herein, may comprise the driven belts 12, 14 arranged to run over pulleys I26, I28 and I30, I32 respectively carried upon separate frame units I34, I36.

The frame units I34, I36 are supported upon standards I38, I40. The upper unit I34, may be raised or lowered upon the standards I30, I40, to conform to the height of the cartons. The belts may be driven through the chain and sprocket drives I42, I44 from a motor and gear reduction unit I45 as clearly illustrated in Fig.

3. As the cartons are advanced between the belts, the ends of the cartons are subjected to pressure by the weighted rollers I 46, supported in the upper unit I34, and bearing against the belt I2. The lower belt I4 is supported by backing rollers I48 carried by the lower unit I 36.

From the description thus far, it will be observed that the carton sealing machine of the present invention and the carton collecting and transferring mechanism associated therewith enables the cartons to be handled in a simple and practical manner, and by which the machine is enabled to handle the cartons more expeditiously in their travel from the delivery end of the machine to the dryer than has been possible heretofore.

While the invention has been described as embodied in a carton closing and sealing machine, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is: 1 1. In acarton sealing machine, the combination with a dryer for applying and maintaining pass therethrough, of a delivery belt for receiv-' ing the cartons as they are delivered from the illustrated and carton sealing machine, a stop member disposed transversely of the delivery belt against which the cartons come to rest to form a line thereof a upon said delivery belt, means for selecting a predetermined number of said cartons from the line thus formed and for transferring them to the dryer; and means for holding back the remainder of the cartons in the line during the transferring operation.

3. In a carton sealing machine, the combination with a dryer adapted to apply and maintain pressure upon the sealed ends of cartons as they pass therethrough, of a delivery belt for receiving thecartons as they are delivered from the carton sealing machine, a pivotally mounted stop member disposed transversely of the delivery belt against which the cartons come to rest to form a line thereof upon said delivery belt, means for selecting a predetermined number of said car'- tons from the line thus formed and for transferring them into the dryer, and means for rendering the stop member inoperative to release thecartons in the event that the line of cartons completely fills said delivery belt and additional cartons are introduced thereto before the transferring means operates to remove said predetermined number, said last named means comprising a yieldingly mounted roller engageable with one end of said pivotally mounted stop member and adapted to retain the latter in a transverse position under normal operating conditions and to release said stop member when an abnormal pressure is brought to bearagainst the latter.

4. The combination with a cartonsealing machine adapted to close and seal the top flaps of cartons, of-a delivery belt arranged at right angles to the line of cartons being delivered from the carton sealing machine, a stop member disposed transversely of the delivery belt against which the cartons come to rest'to form a group thereof upon said delivery belt, a pair of spaced belts adapted to apply and maintain pressure against the sealed flaps of the cartons as they pass therethrough and transferring'means arranged at right angles to the delivery belt for transferring the groups of cartons from the delivery belt to between the spaced belts.

5. In a carton sealing machine, the combination with a dryer adapted to apply and maintain pressure upon the sealed endsof the cartons as they pass therethrough, of a delivery belt for receiving the cartons, a stop member disposed transversely of the delivery belt and against which the cartons come to rest to form a line thereof upon said delivery belt, and transferring means arranged to transfer the line of cartons into the dryer, said transferring means being adapted to yield in the event of a jam in the dryer whereby to prevent damage to the transferring means and said cartons.

STANLEY R. HOWARD. 

